7 Simple Ways to Start Improving Your Life

By glblguy

“You begin by always expecting good things to happen“, Tom Hopkins

Improving our financial situation is something we all want, but this is only one part of the picture. Whether you’re rich, poor, famous, anonymous, happy, sad, good or bad we all want things we don’t have.

In the instant information age we are used to getting results fast. We expect the same when it comes to improvements in our finances and other areas of our lives. Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that. Change takes time and effort. Rather than a complete overnight change, you’re more likely to make a series of smaller changes over a period of time. It’s a good idea to think of yourself as a “work in progress”. But where do you start? Consider how the steps below apply to you and use your own judgement to decide how to apply them in your life.

1 Get focused – Life can get busy and it’s easy to find yourself hopping from one thing to another without really getting anywhere. Do you know what you want from life? Where do you want to be in 5, 10, 20 years? Where do you want to be next week? You don’t have to make a big deal about it, but putting some ideas down on paper can really help give you some perspective.

2 Get control of your finances – We all wish we had more money, I know I certainly do and that’s probably why you’re reading this blog. Controlling your finances can give you security and freedom. Especially in the current economic climate, knowing that you have your finances in order can bring peace of mind.

There are loads of great posts about this on Gather Little By Little, and if you’re looking for a good book on the subject then George Clason’s ‘The Richest Man in Babylon‘ has some really simple and timeless tips for managing your finances.

3 Think positive – This phrase has been bandied about a lot but have you noticed the quality of thoughts that run through your mind every day? Are they uplifting and positive, or negative and destructive? Do you congratulate yourself for your successes or spend all your time dwelling on your failures and shortcomings?

Make an effort to pay attention to your thoughts a bit more closely. When you notice that your thoughts have taken a dive into dark, negative territory then make a concious effort, not to suppress those thoughts, but to shift gear into more positive and uplifting ones.

4 Get some exercise – Everyone knows this one but it is so easy to lose sight of. Sometimes the most simple and obvious things can have the most profound benefits. It has taken me a long time to truly appreciate the benefits of exercise and I still lose sight of them from time to time.
There are plenty of reports and studies around that will tell you exactly how much exercise you need to stay healthy, but I believe that everyone is different and that what works for one person won’t always work for another.

So figure out what works for you. Try different things; it may be that walking to and from work is enough for you. Maybe you need to join the gym or a sports team. Whatever the case just do something. Sometimes I only spend 30 minutes exercising at the gym. Some would say that’s not enough, but it’s better than zero minutes.

5 Get spiritual – Take a step forward on your spiritual path. The natural reaction when you’re trying to sort things out is sometimes to step back from this part of life but the most productive thing to do is to step forward.

6 Give – Time, money, a prayer for peace…it doesn’t matter so much what, just give something.

7 Do it now – Nothing will happen unless you make it happen. The key to any sort of change is action, so go for it!

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We do live in an instant gratification world. I always say that we need to manage our expectations . . .

I always thing about weight gain– people put it on over several months, but they want it off by next week. Not realistic!

People tend to expect too much from their:

-Investments
-Jobs
-Kids
-Family
-Spouse
-Themselves

Let’s remember:

-Investments aren’t going to always bring double digit returns . . .
-Jobs aren’t forever, nor are they guaranteed . . .
-Kids aren’t perfect . . .
-Families will let you down sometimes . . .
-You spouse can be your greatest ally, but needs to be accepted as they are . . .
-You are human and will make mistakes from time to time– the trick is to learn from your mistakes . . .

People don’t understand the power of a nice workout in the morning. I am training light at the moment but I usually train heavy at the gym. Nothing beats getting that pump first thing in the morning and then going to work/school all energized and ready to go.

Focused is key, and no shocker that it’s your #1. I have wanted to do a new blog with a friend for some time. Finally we got focused and instead of just talking, put it into action. Focused is the key for whatever goals you would like to achieve.